Spurs miss out on Moutinho

Tottenham have missed out on a deadline day swoop for FC Porto midfielder Joao Moutinho.

Moutinho had been linked with a move to White Hart Lane throughout the summer, though a deal appeared unlikely earlier this week when manager Andre Villas-Boas all but gave up on agreeing to terms with his former club Porto. However, widespread reports in the English press claim a £22 million deal was made between the clubs as the transfer deadline loomed.

Villas-Boas had identified Moutinho as the ideal replacement for Luka Modric, and seemed to have landed his top transfer target as Spurs entered negotiations with Moutinho's agents. But the deal collapsed when individual terms could not be met.

Negotiations were complicated by Moutinho's former club Sporting Lisbon who would take 25 per cent of any sale from Porto, while a third-party investor also owns 15 per cent of the player's economic rights.

The Guardian reports Spurs had a request for extra time to complete the deal rejected.